''Neil's Puppet Dreams'' is a
web series
A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...
created by
The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for ...
under its Henson Alternative banner and released on
The Nerdist Channel. The series stars
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...
who helped to create the series.
Plot
This web series features
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...
who lives with his partner
David Burtka
David Michael Burtka (born May 29, 1975) is an American actor and professional chef. He is known for his acting roles in theatre and television shows such as '' How I Met Your Mother'' and ''The Play About the Baby''. After his role on ''How I Met ...
. Neil sleeps a lot and has strange dreams featuring puppet characters. Neil opens each episode by directly telling the audience "Hi, I'm Neil. I sleep a lot and when I dream, I dream in puppet." He then promptly falls asleep and has a puppet dream.
Episodes
# The Lullabye (November 27, 2012) - Neil has a dream where he is falling through the sky in a dream world and a few puppets show up and sing a song to comfort him which only increases Neil's panic.
# Doctor's Office (December 4, 2012) - Neil visits a doctor named Dr. Mayfair (played by
Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion (; born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian-American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on '' Firefly'' and its film continuation '' Serenity'', and Richard Castle on '' Castle''. , he was starring as J ...
) to talk to him about the puppet dreams that he has been having lately. Neil falls asleep and dreams that he is visiting a puppet doctor named Dr. Feltman where his unique physiology causes a stir in the puppet medical community.
# The Restaurant (December 11, 2012) - Neil grapples with pushy customers and punny puns when he dreams that he is a waiter at a restaurant.
# To Catch a Puppeteer (December 18, 2012) - Neil's questionable dream moral gets him into a handful of trouble when Puppet
Chris Hansen
Christopher Edward Hansen (born September 13, 1959) is an American television journalist and YouTube personality. He is known for his work on ''Dateline NBC'', in particular the former segment ''To Catch a Predator'', which revolved around catc ...
shows up in Neil's dream called "To Catch a Puppeteer."
# Dream Bump (January 8, 2013) - The dreams of Neil and David collide when David's dream consists of dancers, drag performers (played by
Willam Belli
Willam Belli (, born June 30, 1982), mononymously known as Willam, is an American drag queen, actor, singer-songwriter, reality television personality, author, and YouTuber. Willam came to prominence as a contestant on the fourth season of ''R ...
and
Detox Icunt
Matthew D. Sanderson, (born June 3, 1985) better known by the stage name Detox Icunt or simply Detox, is an American drag performer and recording artist. Detox was a fixture of the Southern California drag scene before coming to international at ...
), and an appearance by
Joe Manganiello
Joseph Michael Manganiello ( ; , ; born December 28, 1976) is an American actor. His professional film career began when he played Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man''. His breakout role was as werewolf Alcide Herveaux in five seasons of ...
.
# Alien Abduction (January 16, 2013) - Neil dreams that he has been abducted by
aliens
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...
and tries to get them to probe him.
# Bollywood (January 22, 2013) - While watching a
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
film with David, Neil falls asleep and dreams that he is in a Bollywood musical where he is in love with a
cow
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
named Bessie (voiced by
Daniele Gaither
Daniele Gaither is an American actress and comedian. Gaither is most notable for her membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series ''MADtv''.
Early life
Daniele Gaither was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. As a child, Gait ...
).
Cast
*
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...
- Himself
*
David Burtka
David Michael Burtka (born May 29, 1975) is an American actor and professional chef. He is known for his acting roles in theatre and television shows such as '' How I Met Your Mother'' and ''The Play About the Baby''. After his role on ''How I Met ...
- Himself
Puppeteers
*
Brian Clark -
Rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
(ep. 1), Winky the Trouser
Weasel
Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bo ...
(ep. 2), Puppet
Chris Hansen
Christopher Edward Hansen (born September 13, 1959) is an American television journalist and YouTube personality. He is known for his work on ''Dateline NBC'', in particular the former segment ''To Catch a Predator'', which revolved around catc ...
(ep. 4),
Alien
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
(ep. 6)
*
Nathan Danforth -
Beaver
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...
(ep. 3),
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
(ep. 3),
Health Inspector
Environmental Health Officers (also known as Public Health Inspectors or Environmental Health Practitioners) are responsible for carrying out measures for protecting public health, including administering and enforcing legislation related to enviro ...
Mouse
A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...
(ep. 3),
Turtle
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...
(ep. 7)
*
Brian Henson
Brian Henson (born November 3, 1963) is an American puppeteer, director, producer, voice actor and the chairman of The Jim Henson Company. He is the son of puppeteers Jim and Jane Henson.
Early life
Henson was born on November 3, 1963, in New ...
- Jumper (ep. 1)
*
Donna Kimball
Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian.
People
* Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name
* Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), ...
- Doll (ep. 1), Female Nurse (ep. 2), Wife (ep. 3)
*
Drew Massey
Drew Massey (born April 4, 1972) is an American voice actor, puppeteer and director for Nickelodeon and the Jim Henson Company. He has worked extensively with the Muppets and has performed in many films, television series, and commercials. He h ...
-
Squirrel
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
(ep. 1), Male Nurse (ep. 2),
Caveman
The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as " simian" or "ape-like" by Marcellin ...
Chef
A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...
(ep. 3), Husband (ep. 3)
*
Colleen Smith
Colleen Smith (May 31, 1925 – December 28, 2018) was a Canadian people, Canadian former infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 120 lb., Smith batted and threw right handed. She was born in ...
-
Rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
(ep. 1), AbbyCadable2 (ep. 4), Anne (ep. 5),
Alien
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
(ep. 6)
*
Allan Trautman
Allan Trautman (born May 25, 1955) is an American puppeteer, best known for his work with The Jim Henson Company.
Early life
He is originally from Brooklyn, New York. Trautman has a B.A. in Physics and Drama from Washington University in St. Lo ...
-
Rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
(ep. 1), Dr. Feltman (ep. 2),
Monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
(ep. 3), Shelley Oceans as the Drag Queen (ep. 5),
Alien
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
(ep. 6)
*
Victor Yerrid
Victor Yerrid (born November 13, 1971) is an American actor and puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company and has performed Muppet characters in many films, television commercials and television shows. He is best known in the Muppet World for his wor ...
-
Goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
(ep. 1),
Warthog
''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly cons ...
(ep. 2), Old Man (ep. 3), Hot Dog (ep. 3), Alan (ep. 5)
Reception
Awards and nominations
In April 2013, ''Neil's Puppet Dreams'' was nominated for a
Webby Award
The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories include ...
in the "Best Comedy: Long Form or Series" category.
External links
''Neil's Puppet Dreams''on
The Nerdist
''ID10T with Chris Hardwick'' (formerly ''The Nerdist Podcast'') is a weekly interview show "about what it really means to be a nerd" hosted by Chris Hardwick, once usually accompanied by Jonah Ray and Matt Mira. The audio podcasts are typicall ...
's YouTube channel
*
{{The Jim Henson Company
American comedy web series
American LGBT-related web series
Nerdist Industries
2012 web series debuts
2013 web series endings
Web series featuring puppetry
YouTube original programming
Dreams in fiction